powell



(No Model.) I H. G. POWELL."

V ROPE TRAVELER. v I No. 380267. Patented Mar.-27, 1888.

' UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFIGE.

HENRYG. POWELL, or FINSBURY, LONDON, ENGLAND.

ROPE-TRAVELER.

SPECIFJTCATTON forming part of Letters Patent No. 380,267, dated March 2'7, 1888. Application filed January19, 1888. Serial No. 261,300. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY GEORGE Pow- ELL, a subject of Her Majesty the Queen of .Great Britain, residing at Finsbury, in the city of London, England, have invented a' new and useful Improved Rope-Traveler for Low.- ering Persons from Buildings and the Like, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a traveler to be used upon a rope for the purpose of allowing persons to be lowered from a building in case of fire, or for window-cleaning, house-painting, and other purposes.

The object of the invention is to provide a means of regulating the rapidity of the descent down the rope when the latter is a fixed one, though the traveler may, when tightly fixed upon the end of a running rope, be used simply as a convenient means of attaching a belt to a rope for lowering persons or articles.

To clearly explain the nature of my invention, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a front view of the rope-traveler. Fig. 2 is a side sectional view, and Fig. 3 is a back view of same.

The traveler A is a block of wood, metal, or other material, in which are two holes, a a, through which the rope passes, in the manner shown clearly in Fig. 2.

If desired, slots a, as indicated in dotted lines, may be formed in the sides of the block, through which the rope may be conveniently passed when the block is to be put on the rope, in place of threading the rope through the holes.

The slots may be closed by a hook and eye, or other similar means.

Centrally situated between the holes a a is a screw-tapped hole, in which I place the screwthread b of a clamping-handle, B. This handle I mayprovide with projections c, to afford a firm hold to the hand.

Beneath the shoulder of the handle B is placed around the thread a loose friction-collar, d, against which the rope presses when in its distortedpath around the screw b. The surface of the block at this point may have i the notches or corrugations e, so that when the handle B is screwed down upon the rope to hold it (which is its purpose) the grip may be made more secure.

Through the endvof the screw-thread is placed a split .pin, f,which bears against a washer, g, the purpose of both being to prevent the screw being accidentally withdrawn too far. The block A, beneath the lowest of the holes a, is narrowed or shaped, as at A, so that it may conveniently be grasped by the hand. Beneath that portion is a hole, a, through which is slipped a band, D, having the usual buckle, h; or this band may be attached at the same point by a swivel or other convenient means.

The operation of the traveler is as follows: A person wishing to lower himself down a fixed or loosely-hanging rope would place the band D around the waist, and with one hand grasp the portion A of the block, inclosing at the same time the portion of the rope passing behind it. With the other hand the handle B will be loosened, so as to allow the traveler, by the weight of the person, to slowly descend the rope, a reverse turn being sufficient to check the descent entirely, as the friction upon the rope, both by reason of its direction through the block A and the pressure of the handle B, will be very great, while the grasp of the hand upon the rope at the part A will also serve to check it.

In place of the belt D, a seat or platform may be suspended from the opening a, which is a more convenient arrangement for children or aged persons, or for suspending workmen, painters, and the like.

Itwill be evident that if the traveler be fixed on the end of a rope the belt of same will be convenient for attaching to persons not capable of lowering themselves, or to articles to be lowered, as the rope may be slowly paid out either from a reel contained in a suitable receptacle-f0r instance, in some article of furniture, such as a chair, as I have shown in the specification of my United States Letters Patent No. 364,668, or in the usual way by hand.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The block or traveler A, having the openings aain line with each othcr, the clampinghandle B, placed centrally between the holes and provided with a clamping-face, and an 5 anti-friction roller or collar surrounding the shank of the clamp B, and the rope being adapted to bear against said collar, being diverted from a straight line and passing beneath the clamping-face of the part B, substan- IO tially as described.

2. The block or traveler A, having holes a 

